Why are most people who CTB Atheists?

[Butterfly65]

From what I've seen most people who are totally set on CTB are Atheists and believe there is no afterlife and that we cease to exist after we die. It seems that comforts them more then belief in an afterlife. I personally have a difficult time understanding this. I was once an Atheist and believed this way, but had some personal experiences and know without a doubt that an afterlife does exist and it comforts me. When I was Atheist and believed there was nothing after this life, that did not comfort me. I was very distressed. It hurt so much thinking I'd never see my loved ones again and I would just simply cease to be. I guess you have to have to have your own personal experiences spiritually to know for sure that there is an afterlife.

 

[ClownMe]

Because were realists who see the world for what it is.

 

[ShutUpEli]

Because were realists who see the world for what it is.

Amen

 

[WornOutLife]

I doubt most of them are atheists but let's guess they are:

They probably ctb because unlike believers, they're not scared of hell or something like that.
After all, we're already living IN HELL.

 

[Superdeterminist]

I don't know why most who CTB are atheists. I don't even know if that's true, Though, I do also get that impression. How can you know there's an afterlife? I'm agnostic on the matter but I feel it's likely there is none since I've seen no evidence for one. I know you said you had a spiritual experience, however does that actually prove there's an afterlife? I'm not sure how it would. I can see it has really convinced you regardless. I have never had any such experience. I believe you're being honest and that the experience you had was compelling. But how do you know tbe true meaning of that experience?

 

[lmplsss]

Well for me, it's more relieving to think that I will just lose consciousness after death. I'm only ok with an afterlife if I'm being promised with eternal happiness but you just can never know. And plus there's just too many renditions of the concept of an "afterlife". You either go to heaven or hell and in Chinese cultures, you may get resurrected into an animal. There's just too much to think about.

 

[All Things Must Pass]

Where did you get that statistic? What's the proof for the existence of afterlife? Anecdotes?

 

[motel rooms]

From what I've seen most people who are totally set on CTB are Atheists and believe there is no afterlife and that we cease to exist after we die. It seems that comforts them more then belief in an afterlife. I personally have a difficult time understanding this. I was once an Atheist and believed this way, but had some personal experiences and know without a doubt that an afterlife does exist and it comforts me. When I was Atheist and believed there was nothing after this life, that did not comfort me. I was very distressed. It hurt so much thinking I'd never see my loved ones again and I would just simply cease to be. I guess you have to have to have your own personal experiences spiritually to know for sure that there is an afterlife.

Awwwwww, sweetie, you're so brilliant... So humble too! You have sure-fire proof for the existence of an afterlife & you're still here talking to us suicidal losers! Don't you realize that you deserve a Nobel Prize for your groundbreaking personal spiritual experience?

 

[Deleted_9cKnXB34QG]

It's like those guys who get high on shrooms or LSD and claim to have transcended into another level of consciousness...
I prefer being realistic, the idea of heaven or a beer volcano might be comforting - like a disney movie is comforting - but it simply isn't realistic. We die and decompose just like every other organism. There really doesn't seem to be much more to it. We're not some special, magical creatures - we're a part of the circle of poo whether we like it or not.

 

[Thisgirlwantstosleep]

Suicidal is a sin in most religions; that probably why.

 

[motel rooms]

plus there's just too many renditions of the concept of an "afterlife".

Exactly. Why do we usually talk only about heaven/hell & reincarnation? Why does nobody ever mention the hundreds of thousands of other "afterworlds" from other cultures/mythologies from across human prehistory & history? Did you know that the ancient Hebrews had no concept of an immortal soul living a full life beyond death, nor of any resurrection? The Torah, the most important Jewish text, has no clear reference to an afterlife at all. Maybe the Greeks were right when they told stories about Hades, a place where absolutely everyone, good or bad, ended up as a pathetic, lifeless shadow? What about the Egyptians, the Babylonians, the Persians, the Celts, the Vikings, the Aztecs, the Inca, the countless tribes of Africa, the Australian Aboriginals & their myths/theories? Who is right? Who???

 

[demuic]

Why are you here instead of going to the afterlife you're sure exists?

 

[LastFlowers]

No one can know there is an afterlife without a doubt.
We all comfort ourselves with lies or willful ignorance of the truth, religion is just a societally accepted delusion that also ticks that box.

There are a few reasons why you may be seeing a lot of suicidal atheists, one being that a certain degree of suffering instills doubt and allows a person to open their eyes to the fact that there is no God, there is no one looking after them, and if there is, they must be worse than the devil himself-if this is the torturous existence bestowed upon so many. Prayer does nothing.

Also, if any religious people are suicidal, they experience more fear and stigma surrounding it, as most of them have been told suicide is a sin (it's not) and that they will go to Hell for eternity (they won't).

In the end it's not about comfort, it's about being realistic, we are already in pain and discomfort, everything else is just more of the same.

I don't think anyone should kill themselves with the expectation of something more to come, or with the belief that they will be reunited with loved ones in paradise..that's a dangerous way of weighing the risks vs the benefits, especially when the most likely outcome is that we simply cease to be, while our corpses rot in the ground.
It's not pleasant and it's not fair but it is the truth which a lot of people cannot handle, for one reason or another.

Some are also privileged with a good life with far less destruction, so of course those people are more likely to believe there is a higher power watching them and rewarding them.
These lucky ones still complain but in comparison to us, they live in sweet, saccharine bliss and spit in the faces of those who don't, thinking perhaps they (the victims of life) deserve the hand they've been dealt and that God punished them for good reason-however false that sentiment may be.

For me specifically, I was raised catholic and I questioned my religion pretty early on, more out of skepticism and irritation than because of my own pain...that intensified later on, but not much later, and the more I learned, the more I suffered, the more my lack of belief in the absurd intensified.

 

[motel rooms]

Why are you here instead of going to the afterlife you're sure exists?

And could you please describe it for us, we're dying to know!

 

[Butterfly65]

I don't know why most who CTB are atheists. I don't even know if that's true, Though, I do also get that impression. How can you know there's an afterlife? I'm agnostic on the matter but I feel it's likely there is none since I've seen no evidence for one. I know you said you had a spiritual experience, however does that actually prove there's an afterlife? I'm not sure how it would. I can see it has really convinced you regardless. I have never had any such experience. I believe you're being honest and that the experience you had was compelling. But how do you know tbe true meaning of that experience?

Hi Hidden Base, you are correct. My personal experiences do not prove there is an afterlife for others, it only proves that there is an afterlife for me. I have had many daily personal experiences over the past 4 years since the love of my life passed away.

And could you please describe it for us, we're dying to know!

How old are you? 5?

Where did you get that statistic? What's the proof for the existence of afterlife? Anecdotes?

I ever said there was proof for an afterlife I said there is proof of an afterlife for myself because of my own personal experiences.

 

[MaybeSoon]

Are there statistics to back this up? It wouldn't suprise me at all tbh.. I'm atheist and the thought of death doesn't bother me in the slightest. I believe once you're dead that's it, which is far more comforting that the prospect of heaven or hell or some other infinite existence. I've always been slightly jealous of people with faith though. Being able to blame shitty life decisions and circumstances on some 'test' of God must be really comforting. I wonder how many priests etc.. CTB.

 

[Morituri_Te_Salutant]

Well, this thread sure devolved into toxicity pretty quickly...
Back when I still believed in a religion, I used to believe that religion could give a person hope about the future and to continue on.

I was once an Atheist and believed this way, but had some personal experiences and know without a doubt that an afterlife does exist and it comforts me.

I have had many daily personal experiences over the past 4 years since the love of my life passed away.

What were these "daily personal experiences" anyhow that got you to discover an afterlife? Near Death Experiences? Dreams where you met your passed on loved ones?

 

[motel rooms]

How old are you? 5?

Yes, yes I am undeniably 5, but I'm an old, wise soul. I have come back from the afterlife to establish contact with you, the Chosen One

 

[LifeQuitter2018]

Exactly. Why do we usually talk only about heaven/hell & reincarnation? Why does nobody ever mention the hundreds of thousands of other "afterworlds" from other cultures/mythologies from across human prehistory & history? Did you know that the ancient Hebrews had no concept of an immortal soul living a full life beyond death, nor of any resurrection? The Torah, the most important Jewish text, has no clear reference to an afterlife at all. Maybe the Greeks were right when they told stories about Hades, a place where absolutely everyone, good or bad, ended up as a pathetic, lifeless shadow?

Wait, talking about religions, why don't you mention Buddhism and Hinduism ?

What about the Egyptians, the Babylonians, the Persians, the Celts, the Vikings, the Aztecs, the Inca, the countless tribes of Africa, the Australian Aboriginals & their myths/theories? Who is right? Who???

Have you ever heard of ancient texts called "The Egyptian Book of the Dead" and "The Tibetan Book of the Dead" ?

 

[lmplsss]

Ok ok ok I see that most of us on here aren't receptive to the idea of having an afterlife. I certainly don't believe it and I wish this idea will never get planted in my head because it will grow into something unimaginably horrible. However, if this very idea comforts op, then we should respect it. Our heads are already screwed. Lets just support each other.

 

[Butterfly65]

Why are you here instead of going to the afterlife you're sure exists?

I'll be going soon.
I'm not religious, I'm spiritual. I don't believe in Heaven and Hell.

 

[Kyrok]

People periodically claim to have afterlife experiences. Given that human beings have wondered about this issue for tens of thousands of years, one would think the testimony, if veridical, would have given us some reliable answers by now.

Instead, we get the occasional documentary, anecdotal from crazy Aunt X, book from miscellaneous guru type author, etc..

The absence of consistency, repeatability or other markers of worthwhile evidence suggests that they're made-up, the result of addled minds, wishful thinking, attention seeking, etc..

As for suicide and theism, yes, studies do show lower suicide rates among religious believers. That makes sense for if you believe in an afterlife, suicide isn't going to nullify your existence. Hence, you're less likely to see it as a solution.

 

[Dutchyala]

I don't think is comfort but fear. Most religions punish suicide with hell or something terrible.
Here on my country there is a religion called spiritism, they are always looking for suicidal people to preach they are going to be stuck in a hell like place and then be reborn and live all over again because is our karma to experience and overcome that.

Many atheists don't fear the afterlife because it's going to be the end. When there is nothing or very little good left and life is much more pain than good, people get more confident about sleeping forever.

 

[motel rooms]

Wait, talking about religions, why don't you mention Buddhism and Hinduism ?

I mentioned reincarnation, a concept from Hinduism & Buddhism. I didn't mention Christianity or Islam either, just the concept of heaven & hell. What's your point? Read my post again & you might realize that I was not attempting to list all the religions that have ever existed, but making a very specific point

 

[it's_all_a_game]

Why are people being so rude here? Just because you don't believe in religion doesn't mean you should ridicule those who do.

 

[Meretlein]

Most religions prohibit suicide, though I doubt that is the full story since many religious people ignore certain teachings for the sake of convenience. Religion offers meaning meaning and community, which are protective factors against suicide. In addition to this, suicidal people on SS may not be representative of all suicidal people as plenty of religious people kill themselves off the site.

 

[Butterfly65]

People periodically claim to have afterlife experiences. Given that human beings have wondered about this issue for tens of thousands of years, one would think the testimony, if veridical, would have given us some reliable answers by now.

Instead, we get the occasional documentary, anecdotal from crazy Aunt X, book from miscellaneous guru type author, etc..

The absence of consistency, repeatability or other markers of worthwhile evidence suggests that they're made-up, the result of addled minds, wishful thinking, attention seeking, etc..

As for suicide and theism, yes, studies do show lower suicide rates among religious believers. That makes sense for if you believe in an afterlife, suicide isn't going to nullify your existence. Hence, you're less likely to see it as a solution.

@Kyrok there's going to be a lot of surprised folks waking up on the other side of things I can tell you that. :) Suicide would be a solution if things are greatly improved once you get there don't you think? If you are out of the suffering that you were in while you were here in this life? Free to feel great and begin anew without the issues that made you want to end your life. There is a lot of evidence, if you look for it. But for some all the anecdotal evidence in the world won't make a difference unless they have their own experiences.

 

[Morituri_Te_Salutant]

Here on my country there is a religion called spiritism, they are always looking for suicidal people to preach they are going to be stuck in a hell like place and then be reborn and live all over again because is our karma to experience and overcome that.

Gee, that's sure going to help suicidal people like you and I.

 

[Butterfly65]

Why are people being so rude here? Just because you don't believe in religion doesn't mean you should ridicule those who do.

It's not even about religion, it's about the belief in an afterlife.

I don't think is comfort but fear. Most religions punish suicide with hell or something terrible.
Here on my country there is a religion called spiritism, they are always looking for suicidal people to preach they are going to be stuck in a hell like place and then be reborn and live all over again because is our karma to experience and overcome that.

Many atheists don't fear the afterlife because it's going to be the end. When there is nothing or very little good left and life is much more pain than good, people get more confident about sleeping forever.

Many will be surprised to wake up on the other side their eternal slumber is not what they thought it was going to be :)

 

[Bigpink]

I'm a born again atheist